Newly Diagnosed... Help Please!

[Dantebenuto]

Hello,

I was recently diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. The few statistics I was able to drag out of the assistant to my doctor were 79 events per hour and oxygen level of 72% during sleep.

I have post nasal drip / sinus issues and sometimes find it difficult to breathe through my nose. I have the income available to purchase any mask i want; I find the mask to be the most difficult part of the CPAP experience and I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

Could some of you who are more experienced with this please suggest some comfortable, minimally obtrusive masks, considering my nasal condition? Please provide manufacturer, model, and describe your experience with the mask. That would help me greatly in selecting one that I can live with nightly.

Thanks so much,

Dante

[Bogof]

For the sinus trouble, I would recommend the Hydro Pulse: http://www.pharmacy-solutions.com/hp.htm - specifically designed to take care of what you mention.

With your nasal issues, it sounds like you might be breathing trough your mouth. In order for us to come up with any meaningful suggestion, we'd first need to know whether you breathe through your nose or mouth when you sleep.

[Dantebenuto]

I think I start out mouth breathing, but generally find myself nose breathing if i wake up during the night. I sleep on my side often, usually to clear out at least one sinus passage so i can breathe through it.

I would prefer to nose breathe, as I understand this is more correct.

[Slinky]

Hopefully you were also scripted a heated humidifier. Not that much in the line of heat is needed in this area to provide any humidity right now!

Surprisingly, I've found that often when my nose is drippy and stuffy, a few minutes on CPAP clears it up and I can start breathing thru my snozz!!!

Of course, for the first few minutes I find myself inhaling thru my nose (and mask) and exhaling thru my mouth but then I notice it getting easier and easier to breathe both in and out.

Sometimes the most expensive masks aren't the best ones for our particular needs.

Assuming you have insurance and will be working w/a local DME supplier ask them to clarify their mask exchange policy and insist on the opportunity to try a full face mask due to your sinus condition. Try the Resmed, Respironics and Fisher & Paykel full face masks first since those companies have a free replacement policy for local DMEs for masks patients have tried and couldn't use. The DME just has to fill out a form and return it w/in 30 days.

Just go to cpap.com and to the left click on masks, then on the new page click on full face masks and you can even sort by manufacturer. Get an idea of what is available and then based on the recommendations from those in the forum who use full face masks develop an idea of which full face masks you want to try. But do try the full face masks by the three manufacturers above since they should bring up the least resistance from the DME supplier. Save your money for trying recommended full face masks not made by the three manufacturers above if none of theirs are satisfactory.

[DreamStalker]

Before going on the hose, I too used to have frequent nasal conditions that made it difficult to breathe out of my nose.

Since starting my PAP treatment, my sinuses have been fairly clear and caused me no issues (almost a year now). That does not mean that everyone that goes on the hose will have the same experience but it is something to hope for.

Bogof's suggestion is a good one. Last fall I started performing a weekly nasal saline rinse for fear of my dreaded nasal conditions. Something is working ... the nasal saline rinses or the clean filtered air from the PAP machine or both ... I dunno.

[lilsheba]

I'm a new user too, in fact I will experience a cpap machine for the first time in my sleep study tonight. I also have nasal problems and will be having nasal surgery next month. I decided to get a nasal rinse system as a preemptive measure and it sounds like it's a good idea.

[quote="DreamStalker"]Before going on the hose, I too used to have frequent nasal conditions that made it difficult to breathe out of my nose.

Since starting my PAP treatment, my sinuses have been fairly clear and caused me no issues (almost a year now). That does not mean that everyone that goes on the hose will have the same experience but it is something to hope for.

Bogof's suggestion is a good one. Last fall I started performing a weekly nasal saline rinse for fear of my dreaded nasal conditions. Something is working ... the nasal saline rinses or the clean filtered air from the PAP machine or both ... I dunno.

[Dantebenuto]

thanks for the answers and tips, very helpful. i hope you have a great experience tonight!

D

[GeneS]

One thing you should learn early if you are a new cpap user.

Cpap therapy does not work when you breath in thru your mouth with a nasal mask. The pressure in your airway is negative when this happens and cpap therapy can only work when airway pressure is positive. If you use a nasal mask you need to seal your mouth someway for cpap to work correctly. If you use a full face mask therapy can work while breathing thru either your mouth or nose.
GeneS

[Dantebenuto]

Well, thanks to all! I selected the Swift Mask and a Resmed CPAP machine with heated humidity, and spent my first night with it last night.

I feel GREAT today!

A couple of interesting notes about the experience:

Once i remembered from my sleep study what a refreshed nights sleep actually feels like, I wanted to get my setup as quickly as possible.

This meant making approximately 25 phone calls to my doctor, insurance company, and supply provider in order to get everyone on the same page. Finally (at 4:30pm) yesterday, I was able to pick up the machine - i was able to finagle it within a business day of getting my prescription, but not easily.

One question I have - the tech who taught me to use the machine told me there are some kind of decongestant drops you can put in your humidifier to help with nasal congestion if that is a problem for you. Does anyone else do this and if so, what brand of drops do you use and where do you get them?

PS. I had a little bit of congestion last night but it was definitely better than usual.

Thanks again everyone,

Dante

[drummergirl410]

[quote="Dantebenuto"]Well, thanks to all! I selected the Swift Mask and a Resmed CPAP machine with heated humidity, and spent my first night with it last night.

I feel GREAT today!

A couple of interesting notes about the experience:

Once i remembered from my sleep study what a refreshed nights sleep actually feels like, I wanted to get my setup as quickly as possible.

This meant making approximately 25 phone calls to my doctor, insurance company, and supply provider in order to get everyone on the same page. Finally (at 4:30pm) yesterday, I was able to pick up the machine - i was able to finagle it within a business day of getting my prescription, but not easily.

One question I have - the tech who taught me to use the machine told me there are some kind of decongestant drops you can put in your humidifier to help with nasal congestion if that is a problem for you. Does anyone else do this and if so, what brand of drops do you use and where do you get them?

PS. I had a little bit of congestion last night but it was definitely better than usual.

Thanks again everyone,

Dante

[Dantebenuto]

The pharmacist at the drugstore thought I must be referring to some Vicks but that is not the case.

Also, I saw a thread about Apria somewhere up there... my experience with them is that you must treat them like an insurance company - be the politest but squeakiest wheel and they will eventually get their act together.

[sharon1965]

dreamstalker said:

Before going on the hose, I too used to have frequent nasal conditions that made it difficult to breathe out of my nose.
Since starting my PAP treatment, my sinuses have been fairly clear and caused me no issues (almost a year now). That does not mean that everyone that goes on the hose will have the same experience but it is something to hope for.

i found this, too, and it was a welcome change from feeling congested almost constantly for as long as i can remember

Last fall I started performing a weekly nasal saline rinse for fear of my dreaded nasal conditions. Something is working ... the nasal saline rinses or the clean filtered air from the PAP machine or both ... I dunno.

yup, same here...i use the NeilMed Sinus Rinse system and it has worked great! i live in a highly polluted area where everyone complains of some kind of nasal problems (around here, if someone asks what you're allergic to, most people say 'i live in windsor'); but like dreamstalker says, it must be a combo of the clean cpap air and the rinse

dante said:

I have post nasal drip / sinus issues and sometimes find it difficult to breathe through my nose.

do you know why this is? i suffered from what i thought were year-round allergies (allergic rhinitis) all my life but stumbled across a thread on here about jeffh recovering from septoplasty to repair a deviated septum...it sounded just like me so i had it checked out and sure enough, mine was severely deviated; i had the surgery in april and have been breathing freely ever since, with no allergy meds, no tylenol cold and sinus, etc.
this, combined with the cpap air and the nasal rinsing have all made my life so easier--constant congestion, sneezing and sinus pressure were making me miserable...this has been like a gift

best of luck
sharon1965

p.s. i do use a vicks inhaler before going on the hose, but just because i like it, i don't know if it actually does anything, but it works for me

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[GuinnessMike]

You all realize that Vicks inhalers are known to be addictive? Also spray decongestants can be addictive and then they lose their effectiveness - pretty sure the saline nose sprays do not become addictive

[goose]

Google on "vicks inhaler". I think you'll be shocked at what you find!!!

In general, vaso restrictors are not a good thing to use all the time!!!! (most OTC nasal sprays are vaso restrictors).
They're not physically addictive per sae, but the way they work, they seem to be. They'll open the nasal passages for a while, but then the congestion comes back with a vengeance requiring more.....
Personally, I avoid them like the plague!!! I take other drugs for my allergies (allegra, flonase, benedryl at night)!!

Just my two pennies.....
cheers
gg

[sharon1965]

Personally, I avoid them like the plague!!! I take other drugs for my allergies (allegra, flonase, benedryl at night)!!

i will absolutely google "vick's inhaler's" but i just want to say, at the risk of being argumentative, those 'other drugs' you take at night are so bad for you you might as well be taking poison...those, i avoid like the plague!!

You all realize that Vicks inhalers are known to be addictive? Also spray decongestants can be addictive and then they lose their effectiveness - pretty sure the saline nose sprays do not become addictive

LOL i can definitely say that i am not addicted to vicks, since i have run out numerous times and get around to replacing them in my own sweet time; the decongestant sprays i can see being a problem, especially if they are anti-histamines; the saline spray is simply salt water, used to flush out the nasal passages...not really a concern for me

but thanks for the heads up on the vics